The decline of citizen involvement affects two key elements of democratic government: elections and political parties. Activating the Citizen examines the reasons underlying citizen withdrawal and explores and assesses innovative approaches on both sides of the Atlantic to try to counter these phenomena.

The decline of citizen involvement affects two key elements of democratic government: elections and political parties. Activating the Citizen examines the reasons underlying citizen withdrawal and explores and assesses innovative approaches on both sides of the Atlantic to try to counter these phenomena.

Introduction; J.H.Pammett & J.DeBardeleben PART I: DEFINING THE PARTICIPATION GAP Citizen Participation and Democratic Deficits: Considerations from the Perspective of Democratic Theory; M.Warren The Decline of Political Participation: An Empirical Overview of Voter Turnout and Party Membership; A.Siaroff PART II: VOTER TURNOUT: UNDERSTANDING THE DECLINE Turnout in Electoral Democracies Revisited; A.Blais & A.Dobrzynska Where Turnout Holds Firm: The Scandinavian Exceptions; J.Elklit & L.Togeby New Members, Old Issues: The Problem of Voter Turnout in European Parliament Elections; J.DeBardeleben & L.LeDuc PART III: PARTIES AS VEHICLES OF PARTICIPATION Party Membership and Activism in Comparative Perspective; P.Whiteley Models of Party Organization and Europarties; L.Bardi & E.Calossi Grassroots Participation and Party Leadership Selection: Examining the British and Canadian Cases; W.Cross & J.Crysler PART IV: BEYOND ELECTIONS AND PARTIES: INNOVATIONS IN ACTIVATING CITIZENS Participation and the Good Citizen; J.H.Pammett Institutionalizing Participation through Citizens' Assemblies; J.Rose Citizen Involvement in Constitutional Politics: European and Canadian Experiences; L.LeDuc Youth Engagement, Civic Engagement, and New Vehicles of Political Participation; E.Saunders